The present invention relates to the field of water treatment, and more particularly to the field of water treatment methods and apparatus in which treatment is carried out without the addition of chemical agents.
Treatment of waste water presents an ongoing problem to all communities. Following standard established by local, state, and federal agencies, communities cannot discharge raw waste water into streams, rivers, or the like. Water treatment facilities, however, often require large capital expenditures, imposing severe burdens upon the communities involved. Most purification methods now in service treat waste water in ponds, tanks, or the like, with chemical agents being added to accomplish sterilization or purification. Not only are such methods expensive, but also the water cannot be put to any useful purpose during the period of treatment, and, particularly in arid areas, that requirement poses an additional burden upon the community.
Therefore, a pressing need exists to provide a water treatment method that is relatively inexpensive compared to existing methods and which also allows a community to receive benefit from the water during the treatment process.